Recording Date

MinuteAge

AllMusic Review
by Paula Edelstein

Pianist John Wolf Brennan finds his limits and then exceeds them on MinuteAge with fellow musicians Reto Senn and Margrit Rieben. The prolific pianist and composer explores Celtic and other ethnic sounds and noises and sets them to music on this unique 12-track blend between composition and improvisation. Senn plays bass clarinet, clarinet, and taragot (a Romanian shepherd instrument); Brennan plays the prepared piano and melodica in addition to acoustic piano; and Rieben plays drums and both acoustic and electric sounds that range from singing saw shrills to buzz-rope whizzes. Opening with " "Nieder mit dem Quartsextakkord!," the trio play in an open manner with lots of nuance in between. Brennan scores high with his dynamic grading at the keyboards and Rieben's wide-open spaces on drums provide excitement for Senn's blowing and extensive cantilenas on taragot and clarinets. The artistically pure experiments and conceptional improvisation emanating from the elegantly sweeping clarinet melodies, Rieben's sound effects and atmosphere, and Brennan's piano rhythms and propulsions are highly individual and without comparison.